Spring-mounting for vehicles.



CfH. BIEDERMAN.

SPRING MOUNTING FDR VEHICLES,

APPLICATION FILED JANZB 1916.

Patented Alig. 7, 1917.

2 SHEETS--SHEET l- C. H. BIEDERMAN.

SPRING MOUNT'iNG FOR VEHEGLES.

APPLICATION men JAN.29 19m.

1,235,643. Pmtonted An' g; T, 1917.

2 $HEETS--SHEET 2.

I [nae ni h W Mine es:

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cannula H.

zmnnnuaiv, or CINCINNATI, omo, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO THE 0. MIIEDEB COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO. A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CHARLES H; B1snnn- MAN a, citizen of-the United States, residing at Omcinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SpringMountsocalled motor trucks and trailers.

It is the object of my invention to provide a novel spring mounting which will accommodate itself to great variations in load and provide easy riding qualities for the vehicle variations in load conditions.

It is the object of my invention, further, to provide a novel spring mounting of the character mentioned having great resilience and slight resistance under light load conditions varying to slight resilience and great resistance under heavy load conditions, the. springs adapting themselves in novel manner to pro or resisting. and resilience conditions up er various loads.

It is-the object of my invention, further, toprovide a floatin spring structureso arranged as to provife ircedom oi movement between the ends of the springs and load supports thereon, further, to provide a struc ture of the character mentioned wherein the load supports may rebouiul substantially from the springs and be independent of connection with the springs; further, to provide lateral guiding means for the ends of the springs, whereby the chassis, springs, wheels and axle of the vehicle are maintained in proper lateral rclatiini, said guiding means and springs having relatively tree up and.

down n'io vcment; and, furtheiyto provide springs having attachments at their middle portions to the axle, with the ends of the springs floating with'relation to line chassis of the vehicle the chassis and axle having a radius-member therehetween' for locating the draft relation between the axle and the chassis.

The invention will be further readily un' derstood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Figure 1 represents a side eleval ion of my improved device as applied to an axle and the chassis of a truck, showing the relations of the parts undcH-no-loanl condition, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

20 and nuts" 27.

\ SPRIN G-MQUN TING FOR VEHICLES.

Patented ling. 7, 1917.

Application filed January 29, 1916. Serial No. 15,139.

wheels being removed, and showing the chas- SIS 1n rebound position in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same show ing the relations of the parts under extreme load conditions. i

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of my .improved device taken on the line 23-43 of lfig. 5, and showing one side of the chassis, the wheels being in. place. I

Fig. 4 is a treat elevation of my improved device as applied to a rear axle of a. motor-truck; and,

Fig. '5'is a. vertical longitudinal section of the same taken on theline 5--5 of Fig. at.

The chassis or body of the vehicle, ex

empliiied as the chassis of the motor truck,

any suitable manner, as by means of a shaft 13 leading from the motor of the vehicle to suitable gearing in a gearbox 14, for transmitting motion to the rear axle, or axle-sectious for diit'erential rotation of the latter, in well mderstmd manner.

Springs 15 are supported by the axle, preferably on bearings 10 about the axle, the springs being shown secured to the respective bearings by means of stra s 17. The springs are shown as semi-elliptical springs, each of which comprises a plurality of spring leaves oi varying lengths, the upper leaf being the longest, the lengths of the leaves thereunder decreasing in step-by-step relation.

The springs are clumped together preferably at their middle portions by means of the straps 17, which are received across the sprin tween the roundings of the straps at each oi the springs the straps passing through the bearing iii ainl a clamp-plate 19-thereunder.'tlic parts being clamped together by nuts 20. 'lhcfcnds of the springs have free lengthwise lnovrment with relation to each other. J

'lhe chassis-oi the vehicle is provided with supports it 25, shown as blocks secured to the frame,-"oi' the chassisby means of bolts Each of the supports has a supporting-l'in-c which engages the upper lace of-the upper spring-leaf, the said sup.-

porting-face being preferably arranged on an arc'and inc ining upwardly towardthe ,niiddlc 'of lhc spring. The object of curving the sup muting-face is to graduate and A cla1np-hlock 18 is located be easy end movement limit the area of contact thereof with the spring, thus limiting friction and providin the supportingface.

Lateral guides- 30, '31, are provided between the sides of the springs and the chassis, shown as walls depending from the supports 24, 25. A

' The side-frames of the chassis 11 are shown as channeled beams, and each of the supports as provided' with a shelf 32 received under the beamzand with a cheek 33 received in the channel 34 of the beam, the sheltand cheek being connected by a web 35, the bolts 26, 27,- passing through said 7 cheek and the Web of said channeLbeam.

,A cross-rod 36- is located between the depending, 30 atfthe respective sides of the chassis, radius-rods37 being located betweenthecross rod andtheaxle 12 for forming draft-c nnection; betwejenthe chassis of 'l the 'vehicle andmthe-a'xle. I

I and down and In the present exempliiication'each'of the radius-rods comprises 'a-bearing 38 about the cross-rod and a bearing 39 about the axle'. The bearing '39 is a split-bearing, the parts .whereofare connected-by bolts 40. To=providc ease in assembling the parts, the radiusrod is a tu o-part' rod, connectedby bolts 11 at the joint 42 between the parts, and so arranged that the axle-endyo'f the radiusrod may belassembled on the axle, and the chas sis end of the radius-rod readily attached thereto, when the chassis is placed on the axle, or detached therefrom when it is desired to remove the chassis.

Inniy improved device the chassis ands arin ends are arran 'ed to frce'l move u stresses upon thesprings,-thesprings tormlng shifting or floatmgresrhent structures under the chassis, and enablingcomparatively light springs-of great resilience to be employed. The lateral relation between the chassis of'the -vehicle' and the springs is maintained hyhthcj glateiral. guides 30, 31, be-- tween the-chassisand spring, these lateral guides hei'ng lin its in the direction et the width of the spr ngs, in which direction the springs are comparatively rigid, thereby nmuitaining thelateral relation between the .r-sl-mssis, springs and wheels. The draft relation 'lmtweenvthc chassis-and springs is maintained by the radius rods, thereby relieving the springs of all pulling or pushlng stress in thetravel of-the vehicle.-

' tial ly noloadcondition is sliownfin Fig. l

The relation of the parts under substanv o I \vl1ero1n'1 t;wil-l he noted that tho-chassis is su 'iporled upon the ,onds of- 'tiua upper.

spring-loaf,-itif'uding, great resilience and case of ridiili-tpf the vehicle. .Asi'hc load:

' her of the -l nver leaves are flex-oil, according between the spring an lengthwise with relation to eachothcr and" thereby prevent undue spring-leavcs'and chaiisis.

sistance .beingapplied by the springs as the load increases, the ends of the spring-leaves relatively shifting as flattening ofthe leaves progresses, for bringing a greater number of the leaves under the supports, and causv ing shifting of the ends of the springs for decreasing the effective lengths 0' the spring-leaves between said supports and the axle,,and thereby further increasing their resistance.

My improved arrangement further avoids detrimental stresses upon the'springs upon rebounding of the chassis-of the vehicle, as the supports are free to rebound above the limits of curvatures of the springs, sons to be spaced from the springs, for instance, as

indicated in dotted lines in'Fig. 1, the lateralv guides 30, 31, being sufliciently lon tq avoid rebound of the guides 'beyo'n the range of the springs, it being understood that upon rebound of the chassis the spri will also follow the rebound until their limits of curvature have been reached. Furthermore, if for instance, one wheel of the four Wheels of the truck should drop into a hole, my improved structure permits canting of the chassis for permitting the supports at the diagonally opposite corner of the chassisof the truck torise off the spring, avoiding reverse hen'dingof the spring and consequent rebound stresses thereoni Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, as new and desire to: secure by Letters Patent, is: r 1. he combination of a vehicle chassis, an axle, superposed spring-leaves forming a leaf-spring secured to said axle, the endsiof said spring-leaves curving. upwardly and of gradually increasin lengths, a support'on said chassis, the-unc le'r surface of said support having a substantially'long supporting wise movement under said support jth relation. to each other and to. said support, and lateral guiding means between said spring leaves and chassis 2. The combination of of graduallyincreasing lengths, supports on said chassis, the under surfaces of said sup: ports respectively having a substantial y long supporting face curving similarly to but to,substantially less extent than the 'curvaiuro oi vsaid spring-leaves, saidsu I I a vehicle chassis, an axle, superposed spring-leaves-iormingdleaf-spring secured to said axle, the ends of said spring-leaves curving upwardl'yiand porting faces supported on said ends, Sald ends having lengthwise movement under said supports with relation to said supports,

and lateral guiding ,meaus bet weensaid- 1 3. Inc. device of the character described,

the combination of a chassis having chem neled beams as side pieces, an axle, leaf springs secured about said axis, supports on said chassis having supporting faces sup ported on said springs, said supports provided with depending Walls forming lateral guiding means for said springs, said supports provided with shelves received under said beams and with cheeks received in the channels of said hen-Wm. said shelves and supportiiiig being at opposite sides of said depending Wells, and means securing said cheeks in said channels.

In tes in'ioi'iy whereof, I have hereunto 15 i signed my nen'ie 1n the presence 01' two sub- 

